Japan FM to discuss in Moscow timeframe of Hatoyama visit to RF.

TOKYO, December 25 (Itar-Tass) - Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya
Okada during his first visit to Moscow on December 27-28 this year intends
to discuss a wide range of issues of the bilateral agenda and the
timeframe of the possible trip to Russia of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama,
a Japanese diplomatic source told Itar-Tass on Friday.
According to him, considerable attention at talks with his Russian
colleague Sergei Lavrov will be given to the territorial issue. Among
other subjects of talks of the two ministers the diplomat named "the
development of business cooperation, including in the energy industry,
intensification of interaction in the Asia-Pacific region in light of
coming Japanese presidency in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
forum in 2010 and Russia's APEC presidency in 2012." The bilateral
interaction in the Asia-Pacific region "will be considered with Taking
into account the statements of Prime Minister Hatoyama that he sees in
Russia a reliable partner in this sphere" and that "it is planned to
analyse the situation on the Korean Peninsula."
He said that the economic block of issues will also be discussed at
Okada's working meeting with RF Industry and Trade Minister Viktor
Khristenko as they are co-chairs of the bilateral intergovernmental
trade-economic commission.
During his contacts in Moscow Okada "will inform about changes in the
Japanese foreign policy that took place after the Democratic Party came to
power," the source said.
He said that Katsuya Okada "attaches major importance to his first
visit to the Russian Federation and hopes that it will intensify the
working dialogue between the two Foreign Ministries."
Relations between Russia and Japan are a continuation of the
Japanese-Soviet relations. Relations between the two nations are hindered
primarily by a dispute over the Kuril Islands. On February 10, 1904, a
conflict between Imperial Japan and the Russian Empire resulted in the
Russo-Japanese war over Manchuria and Korea. This, and several smaller
conflicts, prevented both countries from signing a peace treaty after
World War II. As of 2009 matters remain unresolved.
The government of Boris Yeltsin took power in Russia in late 1991 upon
the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Once again, Moscow took a stand in
firm opposition to returning the disputed territories to Japan. Although
Japan joined with the Group of Seven industrialized nations in providing
some technical and financial assistance to Russia, relations between Tokyo
and Moscow remained poor. In September 1992, Russian president Boris
Yeltsin postponed a scheduled visit to Japan. The visit took place in
October 11, 1993. He made no further concessions on the Kuril Islands
dispute over the four Kuril Islands (northeast of Hokkaido), a major
obstacle to Japanese-Russian relations, but did agree to abide by the 1956
Soviet pledge to return two areas (Shikotan and the Habomai Islands) to
Japan. Yeltsin also apologized repeatedly for Soviet mistreatment of
Japanese prisoners of war after World War II. In March 1994, then Japanese
minister of foreign affairs Hata Tsutomu visited Moscow and met with
Russian minister of foreign affairs Andrei Kozyrev and other senior
officials. The two sides agreed to seek a resolution over the longstanding
Kuril Islands dispute, but the resolution of the dispute is not expected
in the near future. Despite the territorial dispute, Hata offered some
financial support to Russian market-oriented economic reforms.
On August 16, 2006, Russian maritime authorities killed a Japanese
fisherman and captured a crab fishing boat in Russia's territorial waters
around the Kuril Islands. The Russian Foreign Ministry said that the death
was caused by a "stray bullet."
On 28 September 2006, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said
Russia would "continue the dialogue with the new Japanese government. We
will build our relations, how the peoples of the two countries want them
to be. Foreign Minister Taro Aso remained on his post in the government.
We have good, long-standing relations, we will act under the elaborated
programme."
Lavrov said on December 14, 2009 that Russia is ready to build
relations with Japan on the international legal basis. "What concerns the
peace treaty our position is well known," the Russian diplomat said. "We
are ready to resolve this issue on the firm international legal basis,
including all those documents that fixed the results of World War II." "We
consider relations with Japan one of our foreign policy priorities,"
Lavrov stated.
The dispute over the Southern Kuril Islands deteriorated Russo-Japan
relations when the Japanese government published a new guideline for
school textbooks on July 16, 2008 to teach Japanese children that their
country has sovereignty over the Kuril Islands. The Russian public was
outraged by the action and demanded the government to counteract. The
Foreign Minister of Russia announced on July 18, 2008 "[these actions]
contribute neither to the development of positive cooperation between the
two countries, nor to the settlement of the dispute." and reaffirmed its
sovereignty over the islands. Nevertheless, the relations between the two
countries remain in good shape.
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